The Pechersky District Court of Kyiv has granted the request of the General Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine and exempted the former finance minister of the time of the presidency of Viktor Yanukovych, Yuriy Kolobov, from criminal liability in connection with the expiration of the statute of limitations, the Internet publication "The Court Reporter" reported from the courtroom.

According to the publication, this ruling was issued by Judge Volodymyr Karaban on February 21.

The ruling comes into force within seven days from the date of its adoption, unless an appeal is filed.

The publication noted that Kolobov himself participated in the court session via a videoconference from the Consulate General of Ukraine in Barcelona (Spain). In Kyiv, he was represented by defense lawyer Yulia Stepanenko.

"A request for Kolobov's release from criminal responsibility in connection with the expiration of the statute of limitations on December 7, 2017, was filed by Oleksiy Kuvshynov, deputy head of the procedural management department for the investigation of crimes committed by criminal organizations at the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine on February 21. He represented the Prosecutor General's Office in court on February 21," the resource writes, noting that the prosecutor refused to comment on the case to the journalist.

Kolobov was finance minister in the period of February 28, 2012 till February 27, 2014.

Kolobov was arrested in the resort town of Altea, Valencia, Spain, at the beginning of March 2015, on suspicion of committing a criminal offense under Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code (misappropriation, embezzlement of property through abuse of office).